A/N – Its a little after midnight here in the UK, but I wanted to post this since you've all had to wait a tad longer than I would normally have liked due to real life and all that jazz.

As always, thank you so much for all the reviews and messages about the story. Also thank you to all those who have placed it on alert or put it in your favourites. Believe me, to see that happen means as much to me as a writer as saying something because I appreciate not everyone wishes to do that – so thank you all again for the interest.

On with the story!

Chapter thirty six

Garcia smiled, lightening up the monitor of the laptop set up on the kitchen table. Emily was sitting alone, having endured another session of therapy, and was waiting for JJ to come from the sitting room where Henry was currently playing. The rest of the team were apparently also on their way over.

"How are you both?"

It wasn't often that Garcia was serious, but Emily could see the concern radiating off their friend. She sighed lightly as she tried to formulate a reply, knowing she didn't want to lie, but equally she didn't want Garcia worrying about them both.

"I'd be lying if I said we're doing fine." Emily finally admitted, running a hand through her hair. "But at the same time, we're doing okay. I think it hasn't fully hit JJ yet, so it might well get worse for her before it gets better."

"Oh sweetie, she'll be fine, you know, just give her time. If this helps, I've found some more information about Sarah Burton. I'll wait for the team before letting you know what it is, but it gives us some more avenues to explore."

"That's good to hear. How did the private aircraft searching go?" Emily said.

"Good as well. I've also got some possible areas to look at more, once the team have a chance to look at what I've got and give me some pointers." Garcia smiled again, leaning in slightly closer to her web cam. "We won't let either of you down on this, you do know that... right?"

Emily couldn't stop her own smile even if she'd tried. "I know PG." Was all Emily said in reply, but it conveyed enough for both women, who then settled back in their respective chairs. Within minutes JJ and the team all filed in, setting up around the table as they had so often done over the last couple of days, Hotch now having shaved, looked more like himself. Morgan looked as if he hadn't rested at all, while Rossi and Reid both looked as they usually did, outwardly calm and collected.

"First, I've now put a formal complaint in about the security we've been given, or rather not given." Hotch sounded angry and didn't try to hide his irritation. "It appears both agents who had been on duty went to get coffee in the early hours from a garage a couple of blocks away; They didn't think it would hurt! Although only gone for a short time, it was long enough. Apart from that, what have we got?" At the question, Hotch dropped his anger and his voice as usual was business like and brisk in his manner.

"I've found some possible flight plans that would coincide with someone leaving the DC area for New Orleans, and then flying back within the time parameters you gave me." Garcia began. "I've sent all the relevant information to your phones and ipads. I've not been able to narrow it down to less than about a dozen flights though I'm afraid."

"No need to apologize." Hotch said quickly, "It's a dozen more leads than we had a short time ago. Morgan, Dave, I want you to go out and talk to the people who were involved with these flights. See if someone recognizes Athena's picture at the airfields."
Morgan and Rossi both stood up and quickly left the room. Hotch glanced back down at a file he had opened in front of him.

"I asked the coroner to do a quick check on something, and he confirmed, that like Susan, the body found today was indeed frozen. He thinks it wasn't for long, based on the cell damage that was present, which also tends to coincide with Susan's autopsy. I've also spoken to the local police who have done a canvass of the neighborhood, but so far no-one has identified Athena's picture." Hotch took a second to glance up at the remaining faces. He then looked closely at JJ before carrying on. "Dental records show the body is that of Will. JJ, I'm sorry."

JJ just nodded and swallowed down her emotion, looking at Emily who clasped their hands together. Although both expected the news, it was still a blow to hear it confirmed.

"What about local empty properties?" Reid asked.

"Garcia?" Hotch questioned.

"There have been more than I would have liked." Garcia admitted. "The economy has meant there are a lot of foreclosures going on, and it's not just the poorer areas that this is happening to now." Everyone could hear the frustration in her voice. "It's also meant there are a larger number of rental properties available and since this is a high density populated part of the city, I've got a lot popping up."

"How about we narrow it down." Emily piped up. "What about taking out certain property types. We know she would need somewhere that wasn't attached for privacy purposes so that rules out condo's, duplexes, that sort of thing. It's also likely she is close enough to monitor us somehow, either via traffic to and from this house, or possibly overlooking this house completely. Does that help?"

"I've already put in those parameters." Garcia said, "And because of the way JJ's house is situated it has a lot of other properties overlooking it. I admit it was quite shocking to find out that. It's still a good thirty properties at the moment."

"We'll just have to go with what you've got." Hotch said. "Send us all the details, and we'll see if we can't whittle it down some more."

"Remind me when this is over to sell up and move to somewhere that is less exposed." JJ muttered. Emily looked at her, surprised and totally unsure how much was said in jest and how much was meant. She couldn't tell by JJ's expression alone, and filed it away to bring up when she finally got to talking about Will having lived here. While Emily had not wanted to make JJ move, perhaps this was the chance they might have to make a house theirs, built on their memories and not someone else. She was swiftly snapped out of her thoughts as Hotch spoke up again.

"Finally, what have you found with Sarah Burton?"

"Well, she is definitely the main owner of the club we went to. Having done some further digging, she isn't the sole owner. There is a Camilla Black listed as a co-owner, but it appears she is nothing more than a silent partner with around 15 percent of the business in her name, so Sarah is still the majority partner. She is simply someone who put money it to the business and seems to just take a cut in the profits at the end of each financial year."

"What's the betting Camilla is Athena." Reid said quickly.

"Oh, stealing my thunder!" Garcia squealed. "I would say it is likely Camilla Black is nothing more than an alias. I've done some background checks on her, and while she exists on paper, or rather, in cyberspace, she doesn't track as I would expect a normal person to."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked, looking for clarification.

"Well, unless you're trying to hide completely, someone who shows up on the accounts like she does, I would expect to find more. I did find more, a driving license, a credit card. Even a bank account."

"That's good right?" Reid looked confused.

"Normally, it would be. Except the picture on the license is so poor it could just about be anyone with that coloring and facial features and it could be Athena, but impossible to say for certain, even the face recognition isn't able to tell. The bank account only seems to be periodically accessed, and then its more for reasons you can't avoid. Paying your taxes, that kind of thing. There doesn't seem to be any real payments going out on utilities, clothes, food. All of the things you would normally see with someone living a day to day existence. Not even cash withdrawals to allow someone to then use the money instead to do that and no other bank account that I can find, it's as though this account is in moth balls, to be used if needed. I can't find property records, employment records, narda!"

"So Camilla is in effect a ghost." Hotch finally said.

"Aside what I've already found, almost." Garcia admitted, "But obviously someone real is behind her."

"I need to arrange a talk with Sarah Burton. Good work Garcia, keep looking. Perhaps you could see if there are any variations on the names. Perhaps try searching for Athena Black or see if there is any obvious connection to that name to Athena through the files the CIA originally gave us. She must use that name for a reason."

"On it as always my liege. Garcia out." With her usual flourish, Garcia punched a button and was disconnected.

"What are JJ and I supposed to do?" Emily asked, sounding frustrated.

"Nothing." Hotch said pointedly.

"What the hell?" Emily straightened up in her seat biting back the pain from the movement and glared at him.

"You are to stay here. Reid, you're with me for now." Hotch stood up, so did Reid, who gathered his things together quickly and walked out, with a quick nod of his head and a muttered goodbye to JJ and Emily as he left.

"No, no way." Emily countered. "We can at least help you canvass."

"Emily you can't even walk a block right now." Hotch said with a sigh. "And you are both too close to this investigation at the moment, let alone the dangers of going out, even if you have an armed escort. You'd both be wide open to a sniper attack at the very least, some kind of drive by shooting at the worst, bringing the possibility of civilians in to danger, so I can't countenance you going out of this house unless you absolutely have to, either of you."

"Emily, Hotch is right." JJ said softly, pulling Emily's hand in to her lap.

"So what, we're supposed to just sit here and twiddle our thumbs." Emily was beginning to sound angrier by the second.

"That is exactly what I expect you to do." Hotch checked his belongings before looking back at the two women. "I know you want to be out there doing something Emily, but believe me when I say this is the best thing you could be doing right now. Apart from anything else you are still recovering from a serious injury, and you wouldn't be at work even if Athena wasn't a threat. You are to do nothing more than you would otherwise have been doing."

Emily took a deep breath before looking back at Hotch, still angry at his words. "Fine, but don't expect me to like it." She huffed.

"I would be disappointed if you did." Came the reply with a light laugh, "I'll call you as soon as we have any news." and with that Hotch disappeared out of the room.

"I've got to do something." Emily began to say, before JJ shook her head, placing a hand across Emily's mouth.

"Hotch is right, and deep down you know it." JJ reminded her. "Surely its better you try and get better now by resting as needed and doing your therapy exercises than pushing yourself to the point where it does more harm than good."

"I can do something, if Athena wasn't around, I'd be coming to the office to visit you all at least. Now I can't even move from the house, and I'm frankly pissed about it all." Emily argued as soon as JJ dropped her hand away, albeit with less ferocity than before.

"Yes, you can do this. You can stay here with Henry and I, enjoying the time we can spend together. I want us to be a family, remember."

"When you put it like that." Emily's face softened and she smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, I do put it like that. Come on through to the sitting room, we need to spend time with our son." JJ put deliberate emphasis on the last two words, and was rewarded with a large smile from Emily, who stood up gingerly.

"You really do mean that." Emily asked unsure of herself suddenly, remembering that they had found out Will was confirmed dead.

"Of course I do." JJ lent in for a hug, "you are an important part of both our lives now."

"I never thought I would be with someone like you, let alone with a ready made family." Emily joked.

"Well, get used to it." JJ replied before moving her head and capturing Emily's lips in a light kiss. "Besides, we've already got to the stage where we've cried and for gods sake even got snot over each other and I suspect we might well be snotting and crying over each other some more before this is all over." JJ stopped as Emily couldn't prevent the laugh from escaping. "So, yeah, I think we're good to go as a family. Once this is all over, we'll be able to spend time doing it under more normal circumstances, but until then I want you to know you're a part of this for me, and for Henry."

Watching JJ for a minute or so after she had finished talking, Emily smiled. "I can easily get used to this." Emily's voice was laden with emotion that she didn't try to hide. "JJ?"

JJ looked at Emily, sensing the seriousness in her voice.

"What?" JJ then asked when she realized that Emily wasn't going to expand on it.

"I know this might not be the right time, but when this is all over I do need to talk to you about the house, and living here. It's not that I don't want to live with you and Henry, god I really do know I want the family, the white picket fence; the whole clichéd deal, but I do need to talk to you about it. All I'm asking is you wait for this to be over before we do, because I can't talk with all this going on." Emily for once looked uncertain, and JJ was so unused to seeing that in her, it surprised her completely.

"Sure, when you want to, we can talk about it." JJ replied, not entirely sure what she was agreeing to, but sensing whatever it was it was important to Emily.

"Thanks." Emily sounded and looked relieved, and took JJ's hand in hers. "Let's go play." and they strode out of the kitchen together, heading out to find Henry.

Later that evening, once Henry had been fed and put to bed, Emily and JJ once more found themselves sitting on the couch, JJ lying in to Emily's good shoulder.

"When are you going to tell Henry about Will?" Emily didn't want to broach the subject, but she was becoming increasingly worried that JJ seemed emotionally cut off from what was happening.

"When this is finally over." JJ said simply, in a tone that showed she wasn't going to stand for any more conversation on the matter. As if to reinforce this, she lent across, pulling the TV remote in to her hand and turning the television on. Emily didn't say any more, just pulled JJ back in to her shoulder, trying to give comfort by touch if nothing else.

"I really don't feel like cooking a meal tonight." JJ mumbled after a while of watching some mindless TV.

"Why don't we get a takeaway in?" Emily asked with a slight shrug of her shoulder's.

"Will the guard dogs outside let us?" JJ questioned.

"Only one way to find out." Emily shifted position and began to walk out. "I'll go ask."

After a few minutes, a slightly breathless Emily came back and plopped down next to JJ again.

"Too much?" JJ asked softly, as she watched Emily begin to settle her breathing again.

"All I did was walk to the curb!" Emily didn't bother to hide her frustration.

"It's already getting better for you. Only yesterday you were struggling just to move around the house." JJ reminded her.

"I know." Emily sighed. "It still doesn't mean I have to like it."

JJ stopped the laugh that was threatening to bubble up at the petulance Emily was showing, and turned the conversation in a different direction. "So, have we got permission to get a take away?"

"Yeah, they have already vetted the one's you said you tend to use. They will just check it on delivery to make sure there is no hidden surprise in there. So, Chinese or Pizza?"

"Chinese." JJ stood up. "I'll go get the menu for the best one in the area."

The take away was ordered, delivered and promptly eaten, and they both finally settled back down on the couch.

"It almost feels normal." Emily mumbled, as she fought off the tiredness that was beginning to descend.

"It is, well apart from the inconvenience of Athena." JJ replied, her own voice thick with sleepiness.

"Well, perhaps we can just forget about..." Emily didn't even finish the sentence as she drifted off in to a deep, dreamless sleep, JJ mere seconds behind her.

"Agents Gonzales and Williams requesting assistance..." The radio crackled in to life, as the agents moved out of the car, running up the road as quickly as possible, instructions being given between gasps of air. "We also need fire trucks and possible EMT's on scene. Hell, send everyone." The agent at that point cut the radio, and came up to a frantic women, who was yelling towards the house.

"My baby's in there in the front bedroom. My little boy."

Both agents looked at each other, and tried to calm her down. "How old is your boy?" Agent Gonzale's asked.

"He's two. Oh god." The woman practically collapsed in his arms, as the other man began running towards the burning house, placing his jacket across his mouth as he entered the front door. Orientating himself in the single level structure, he quickly made his way through the choking smoke, and found the doorway to a bedroom. He flung it open, and managed to see a small body, prone on the floor. He bent down, scooping him up and immediately began to head out of the house again, feeling the heat on his back as the fire spread. As he collapsed outside on to his knees, the EMT's that had arrived on scene rushed across to him quickly, pulling the unconscious boy out of his arms and on to a gurney, the distraught Mother being held back so they could do their job. Agent Williams then realized he had actually scorched some of his hair, and running a hair across the back of his head, he could feel the burnt ends on his fingers. Gasping for his own air as another set of EMT's came to him with oxygen, while fireman were also milling around, he looked up at his colleague who was back on the radio asking for additional agent back up.

In all the smoke, chaos and darkness of the night where it wasn't lit up from the street lights, flames or emergency vehicle lights, no one noticed when two people moved across a couple of open back yards before disappearing from view.